Pumpkin Spiced Latte

I think it's a major accomplishment that I've made it eleven days into September without posting anything about fall. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE fall. The cooler temperatures, the changing leaves, how the air smells...it's all amazing. One of the most amazing parts of fall is everything pumpkin.

Roasted pumpkin. Pumpkin cupcakes, Pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin carving. Pumpkin beer. Pumpkin scones. Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin patch. Pumpkin spice. Pumpkin candles. Pumpkin EVERYTHING.

I've traditionally been a huge fan of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL for short), but as I've been trying to adopt a healthier diet recently I wondered if I could create something similar at home without any artificial ingredients. I searched Pinterest and read through many different recipes before giving it a try myself.

This does not taste like Starbucks. It tastes earthier, spicier, and less sweet. The ginger really gives it a punch and the pure maple syrup sweetens without giving you a sugar rush. I think I am going to be making this for breakfast throughout the fall (and probably into the winter!)

Pumpkin Spiced Latte
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
3 TBSP pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
2. Bring the mixture just to the point of boiling (when you start to see bubbles form at the edges) and remove from heat.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender and carefully turn on the blender*. 
4. Mix for two minutes to create the frothy foam topping. This step is optional and you can skip it if you don't want foam or would rather top with whipped cream.
5. Pour into individual glasses and enjoy!

Friday Five Favs: Pumpkin Recipes

Fall is absolutely, positively my favorite time of year for baking and pumpkin is by far my favorite main ingredient. I have been lazy so far and been using canned pumpkin puree, but I promised the bug we would try our hand at roasting our own pumpkin very soon. Here are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes that I've discovered this year - be warned I like my baked goods heavy on the spices and usually double what is called for in most recipes.

1. Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Food Network: I made this last week for our cousin's husband's birthday and it was a huge hit. The only changes I made were: to add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the graham cracker crumbs when I was making the crust, I didn't add pecans to the top, and I make my whipped cream with a dash of vanilla extract and a tablespoon or so of confectioner's sugar.

2. Pumpkin Pie Bars from Annie's Eats: I also made these for our cousin's husband's birthday because I wanted a different option because I didn't know what everyone would have a taste for. These really do come out with a creamy pie texture and are wonderful - my father-in-law liked these even better than the cheesecake (which was a big success). The only thing I changed was to omit the nuts because I didn't know if there were any allergy issues.

3. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Made in Melissa's Kitchen: I made these as a dessert the time before her husband's birthday when we went to our cousin's house for dinner - have you noticed a trend? Her husband loves baked goods so much that I find it very gratifying to bake for him:-) These were absolutely amazing! The cookie/cake batter is perfectly spiced and keeps the fall flavor prominent even with the sweet frosting. The only downside is the cream cheese in the frosting means you have to chill them and that makes the cake part get a little sticky and moist. I would like to try them again with a straight buttercream.

4. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream from Made in Melissa's Kitchen: Bug and I made these for fun one weekend and everyone who tried them was blown away by how good they were. I was impressed with how spicy and moist the cake came out (I did double all the spices except the ginger) and how totally indulgent the salted caramel buttercream was. I had multiple coworkers in my office rave that this frosting was their favorite they have ever tasted.

5. Pumpkin Pancakes from The Curvy Carrot: We made these for breakfast last weekend and I thought they were quite yummy. Beating the egg whites gives the pancakes a really light and fluffy texture that is worth trying if you have never made a pancake like this. Definitely at least double the spice called for to get the fall flavor you'd expect from a pumpkin pancake.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

This weekend I realized my apple supply was dwindling AND they were starting to get some soft spots. As we were planning to be out of the house all day, I couldn't dedicate myself to any big baking projects to use them up before they spoiled. I quickly scanned my list of "to do" apple recipes and realized that nothing fit! Always willing to improvise when it comes to cooking, I did a quick google search and decided to switch my overly-ambitious-stand-by-the-stove-for-2-hours-stirring (really, I have no idea what I was thinking...) apple butter for a slow cooker version. I was NOT disappointed by the swap and I don't think you will be either because this recipe is delicious!

 Based off a recipe found here from My Baking Addiction...

4 pounds apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed*
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
*I used more sugar because my apples were a tart variety. If you have sweeter apples, scale back your sugar*

1. Chop up all apples and pile into your crockpot.
2. Mix both sugars and all spices together until blended in a medium sized bowl.
3. Pour sugar/spice mixture over apple slices and stir.
4. Add apple cider to crockpot.
5. Cook on low heat setting for approximately 7 hours.
6. Add vanilla extract and stir mixture well. It will have darkened in color and many of the apples will have "dissolved" into the mixture. Cook 1 more hour.
7. Turn off heat and use blender to puree mixture (use immersion blender if you have one!). Be careful as it is going to be very hot!
8. This recipe made four small mason jars (with a little extra that I just spooned into a small bowl). If you can be sure you have people to distribute it to that will use it within 2 weeks, your work is done! I went the extra step and canned it according to the instructions here.

Apple Fritters

Knowing the medical side of things and that healthy weight gain (20-30 pounds for average weight ladies) is the key, I don't believe in the old saying that pregnant women should "eat for two" or eat whatever comes to mind. That said, I've already made it to 35+ weeks and have gained less than 20 pounds because I've had a lot more reflux and sour stomach this time around. It's not horrible, but it's enough that I haven't had much of an appetite for dinner on at least 5 of 7 nights a week. Breakfast is really my only guaranteed "good" meal of the day.

I've used this background to justify making apple fritters (clearly a dessert) for breakfast. I told myself they are kind of the same as donuts right? Right?! And we all know donuts are a SUPER healthy breakfast to begin with. Anyway, enough trying to make myself feel better about consuming over a half dozen of these before 10am...here's the recipe!

Based on the original recipe from The Pioneer Woman

For the fritters:

• 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large apple, peeled and diced

For toppings:

Glaze

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Up to 1/4 cup of milk (add by TBSP til you get a nice consistency)

Cinnamon Sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk and vanilla.

Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. Fold in apples. Make sure you have enough apples to make a very chunky batter.

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium heat. When it gets hot, drop a little drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it burns, turn down the heat.

Drop teaspoons of batter into the oil, six or so at a time. Sometimes they'll flip over by themselves; sometimes you have to flip them. Cook them long enough to make sure the batter's cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes total.

Remove and drain on a paper towel. Dip fritters in glaze (I dipped one side and then placed on a wire rack to allow excess to drip off as they cooled for 10 minutes) or shake in a bag filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Serve warm!

Apple Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream

This is actually not the first recipe I made with my apples, but it was so good that I am blogging about it first.  So here's the deal, my photo of this cake is terrible. It's dark and does not at all show how amazing this cake is. The truth is that my husband changed photo editing programs and the new one scares me - I've known for months that I need to bite the bullet and ask him for a mini-tutorial on improving my photo quality, but my sad photo of this cake might be the final straw. Alas, here it is...

If you've ever tasted my baked goods (or have enjoyed previous baking posts) and trust my palate at all - MAKE THIS CAKE! I based the recipe from the original that can be found over on Mother Thyme's website. 

For the cake:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
2 heaping cups peeled grated apples (about 2 medium apples)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan (9x13 rectangular pan) by greasing and flouring.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy with electric mixer.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 1 minute after each addition.
5. Add milk and vanilla, mixing well after addition.
6. Stir in grated apples.
7. In three additions, gradually add flour mixture just until dry ingredients are incorporated into batter.
8. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

For Salted Caramel Frosting:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/3 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tablespoons milk

1. Make the caramel by melting butter, light brown sugar, half & half, and cream of tartar over medium heat.
2. Boil the mixture for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and let the caramel cool.
4. *After making the caramel I realized that the original recipe makes WAY too much frosting for this smallish cake. Once the caramel was cooled, I only used half to make the buttercream. I saved the rest of the caramel to use for a different recipe*
5. Mix 1/2 of the caramel with 1/2 -1 cup of confectioner's sugar at at time. After all sugar is incorporated, add milk and whip the frosting for at least 1 minute.

The frosting is delicious, but this cake really is SO GOOD that it could stand alone or be adorned with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of homemade whipped cream.

FYI - I don't have any "in progress" shots of this cake because I was baking with this little monster:-)